Verizon says it will start sending out emails to small groups of customers asking them to migrate to one of its limited data plans, which top out at 100GB a month for $450. Verizon recently increased its unlimited data plan from just $30 for grandfathered customers to $50. That $400 gap probably has something to do with the crackdown.
3-D printed fingers from the grave
A Michigan State University professor and one of his students are helping Michigan police with a murder case in a very morbid way. Police believe the smartphone of a man who was murdered might contain information about his killer. The problem is, as you can imagine, that phone is secured with a fingerprint scan and pass code. And we know how smartphone manufacturers feel about hacking into secured phones.
You might remember that little skirmish between the Feds and Apple earlier this year. So, rather than go through all that fuss, the police asked professor Anil Jain and one of his doctorate students to 3-D print the dead man’s fingers – all 10 digits – based on fingerprint records obtained from an arrest. According to Fusion, the two are still working on the prints and will probably hand them over in the next few weeks.
Thing is, we’re not sure this will actually work because many phones require the passcode anyway after a certain amount of time. And, if it is an iPhone that hasn’t been kept charged up, it’s definitely not going to accept just the fingerprint. So, this could be an exercise in futility, but you have to admit, it’s pretty clever … even if it is a little creepy.
Take a ride on the luggage side
Finally, we thought you should have a look at a motorized piece of luggage affectionately called the Modobag. It might just get you to or from your terminal a little bit faster and certainly easier … that is unless someone who finds such a thing offensive decides to kick you over in a fit of air travel-induced rage.
The Modobag is sized just right for a carry on, packs at 200-watt motor and enough juice to take you on a 6 mile ride at up to 8 miles per hour. You could even whiz past those folks in those glorified golf carts who are always honking at you because you’re in their way all the time. At least it seems like that. At any rate, it’s also got USB charging ports, a GPS-based tracking system in case you or someone you know and love at the airline loses your bag, and it will accommodate riders up to 260 pounds. You can pre-order the Modobag now for as low as $1000 but beware that the tracking app for your phone will set you back $70. For an app.
Well that’s just about enough for this week, thanks for watching DT Daily and we’ll see you right back here on Monday.
